


The Mighty Fall

by canaryjpg



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Electrocution, Experimentation, F/M, Gen, Huddling For Warmth, I'm Bad At Summaries, Kidnapping, Memory Loss, Nightmares, OOC at first, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Sassy Peter, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, also maybe a little confusing, but still pretty angsty, not as angsty as it seems, things happen slowly but surely
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-09-02 11:51:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16786417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canaryjpg/pseuds/canaryjpg
Summary: Tony and Peter are taken and lose their memories in the process. Now, they have to find a way to escape their prison as complete, strictly average strangers.Okay, so, maybe not average. But they had a lot to learn about themselves.Even as their adventure continues and they slowly start rebuilding their broken minds, there are just a few questions still nagging at Tony. How did he get here? Who really is he? And why does he want to protect this kid so bad?





	1. 1

He didn’t know where he was.

He didn’t know  _ who _ he was.

Fragments of his memory shot through his head like broken glass. He could just barely grab onto something before it was pulled away, and he found himself growing desperate as each parted memory caused his splitting headache to grow more painful as if they were physically being ripped from his skull. He shuddered internally as another moment of his life was taken from him.  _ Who—? _

It all went away too fast. His train of thought lost all traction and he couldn’t remember for the life of him what he’d been thinking about. He tried looking at his surroundings, but he couldn’t move his head. It took him longer than it should have to realize he was strapped down. He tried lifting his arms up only to find his wrists were tied down as well.

He was lying horizontally on what felt like a table, stiff and uncomfortable. He tried thinking back to how it all happened, but the effort only made everything hurt worse. Stifling a groan, he let the thought vanish from his mind. The ‘how’ wasn’t important at the moment, he figured. Hopefully he could remember that when his brain wasn’t so clouded. Right now, he could barely even remember…

His name. He didn’t know his name. He didn’t know anything about himself, not even what he looked like. He couldn’t picture his own face. His memories were nonexistent. No faces, no voices, just — nobody. Nothing. Why couldn’t he—?

His head swirled with so many questions he couldn’t answer. It hurt to even  _ think  _ about answering them.

When his vision turned black and he felt himself going back under, he couldn’t help but feel relieved.

*

He woke up with his face smushed into the floor. There was something cold and uncomfortable wrapped around his neck, thrumming softly, but still loud enough to grab his attention. He tried moving a hand up to feel it, but his limbs were unnaturally heavy and his movements were sluggish. He lifted his head slightly to get away from the cold biting into his cheek. The raging headache had calmed down, and he could think again. Which just brought a million questions he’d pushed down before to the front of his mind. Shutting his eyes tight to avoid the white lights above him, he could only manage to flip himself onto his back before his body gave out on him.

Just the small amount of energy he used exhausted him. He sucked in shallow breaths through his mouth, heart struggling to pump out the blood his body desperately needed.

“He’s awake,” came a muffled voice from behind the walls, “should we bring him in?”

That made him freeze. These people had strapped him down, most likely done something to his head. Now they were coming back for  _ whatever  _ reason — probably to hurt him again.

He mustered all the strength he could (which, admittedly, wasn’t much) and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He steeled his eyes and clenched his hands into fists, trying to convey a  _ Don’t Fuck With Me  _ message that he wasn’t sure he was fully getting across.

Suddenly, a door he hadn’t noticed before swung open and two scientists with steeled eyes in red-stained surgical masks paraded into the room. It took him a second to notice the third body in between the two, being dragged by both arms with their chin tucked into their chest. Their curly brown hair hid their face, but they were dressed in a thin hospital gown matching his and had a small, skinny frame. 

They released them without any care for their safety, and he winced involuntarily as the kid was dropped to the floor on their head. Looking closer, he could see they were a boy with brown curly hair and pale skin. A collar just like his was wrapped around his neck with a red light on it. Engraved on the collar was simply the word ‘ENHANCED’ and it made the man wonder what it meant. 

He felt a pang of sympathy for the boy as he stared at his young face. He couldn’t be older than 16. It made him sick to think about — they’d captured a child.

*

From the corner of his eye, he saw the boy start to shift. He couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or not.

On one hand, he wasn’t alone anymore. Even if this kid was the most unfriendly person alive, he at least had someone to talk to. And as horrible as the thought was — he felt a little relieved in knowing he wasn’t the only one taken. He didn’t know how well he’d do if he were alone.

Snapping him out of his thoughts, the kid groaned loudly, pushing himself from his stomach to his knees. He blinked slowly, unaware of the world around him, and the other man let him take a moment to gather himself.

He whined in pain and clutched at his head, tangling his fingers in his hair hard enough to pull out loose strands.

“Hey, careful kid, don’t hurt yourself.” the man finally spoke. He tried to be as soft and comforting as possible, but he wasn’t sure it was working.

Apparently he hadn’t realized the other person that was in the room, because the boy jumped inhumanly high and cried out in shock. He stared at him with such wide, terrified eyes that it made his heart hurt.

“W-who—? Who are you?” he stuttered.

“Your guess is as good as mine, kid.” the man shrugged, leaning against the wall. The boy kept his wide eyes trained on him intense enough to make him squirm. He must have noticed the man’s uncomfort, because he shook his head absently and looked away, mumbling an apology. The fear still hadn’t left his face, but he had stopped trembling considerably and no longer looked like he was going to cry at any moment. 

Something about the boy being here with him made him feel safer, if only a little bit. Speaking of… “Do you know where we are?”

The boy shook his head. “I don’t know. All I remember is… I mean, I was…” he scrunched his face up for a moment before looking back up with fear written on his face, skin impossibly pale. “I-I don’t remember.”

_ Perfect.  _ Neither of them knew a damn thing about themselves, and he’d bet all the money in the world it wasn’t a coincidence. These guys had messed up their brains. Taken them away and wiped their memories.

The boy made a noise of distress. “Why can’t I remember?”

He didn’t have a good answer, so he just shrugged and looked away.

Suddenly, something piqued his interest again and he looked back at the child. “Why does your collar say  _ enhanced  _ on it?”

The boy’s hand flew up to his collar and he brushed his fingertips over the word. “I-I don’t know.”

“Maybe that’s your name or something.”

“Maybe.” the boy nodded, not seeming to pick up on the joke. “I don’t know my name.”

“Welcome to the club.”

“You’re… you’re familiar.” the words were rushed out of his mouth as if he was scared he didn’t have enough time to finish his sentence. “I think I know— knew you.”

He looked back at the kid and studied his face. He didn’t recognize him at all. “Sorry kid, I got nothing.”

He almost looked disappointed.

*

The hidden door reopened, and three men stepped in and grabbed the boy.

“Hey!” he shouted, pulling himself away from their grasp. The kid was strong, he had to give him that, able to knock all three men out with ease. It took seven more people to fully restrain him as he kicked and fought. The other prisoner backed himself into the wall to escape the wrath of the guards, silently cheering him on but physically keeping his distance. It seemed to be for the best, too, because in a second the Enhanced’s collar jolted to life with blue electricity. He could barely let out a scream before he was on the floor writhing in agony. 

“Stop!” the kid gasped out. “Please!”

He finally opened his mouth to protest, but as quickly as the electrocution came it ceased and left nothing but a sobbing child on the ground.

They dragged the Enhanced out of the room by his arms as the other prisoner watched in silent horror.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was wishful thinking. He knew there was a good chance he wouldn’t get out of this prison with his life. But he had to try.

They treated the kid much worse than him. He’d stay in his cell with nothing but nerves and boredom while they dragged the boy in and out of the cell for  _ experiments _ . Just the word sent a chill down his spine.

They’d throw him back in as a bloody and trembling mess who’d given up fighting. He would scramble to the opposite side of the other prisoner, bury his face in his hands and just cry. Sometimes he tried to comfort him, whisper soothing words or try breathing exercises (he didn’t know how he knew them, but they came to him like a sixth sense), but it never did much. 

He didn’t know why he was being so kind. It’s not like he didn’t have his own problems with this place. He was always in a state of anxiety, panic attacks were regular and his heart pumped so much blood he feared it would give out on him. But the boy was just vulnerable.  _ Innocent _ . Maybe he was actually a horrible horrible person in the life he couldn’t remember, but for now, he was a scared boy being tortured for no reason. So he’d see to it that his only other friend in this dismal setting felt safe around him.

One day, maybe a month after they’d originally been taken, the kid tried to fight back.

A scientist, male with tan skin and stoic face, grabbed harshly at his arm and told him to stand up. The Enhanced shot Tony a terrified look, one that quietly begged him to save him from this place (the same look he always gave him), but complied. Tony could only glare at the scientist in protest as the boy was taken from his corner.

He didn’t know where it came from, or how he gained the courage to do it, but suddenly, the boy punched the scientist.

_ Hard. _

Even with his lost memories, he knew that the child had incredible strength,  _ inhuman  _ strength, especially for the thin and scrawny body he looked to have.

The scientist was out in a second. The kid seemed surprised by his own strength and looked at his hands in abject horror. The other prisoner stood up quickly and gaped at him.

“What did I just  _ do _ ?” the boy mumbled, voice small and shaky.

“I guess we know why your collar says ‘enhanced’ now, huh?” the man grinned widely at his own attempt to lighten the mood. The kid didn’t seem to appreciate it as much.  _ Okay. Different approach.  _ “You just saved our asses.”

The Enhanced still looked nervous, but less so. Now a bit of pride shone bright on his pale face.

The older prisoner summoned an idea, one he’d been thinking of since getting trapped here. He just needed a good time. And now? Now was the perfect time. “We’re gonna make a run for it.”

The kid’s eyes grew impossibly wider at his companion’s ambition. “W-what? No, no, I can’t—”

“You  _ can _ and you will. You’re strong. And not just physically. To try and fight back after all this time, without even knowing how it would end, that took a lot of strength.”

“Maybe, but—”

“There aren’t any guards watching us. I look through the doors whenever they open them, there’s never anyone else outside.” he put his hands on the boy’s biceps and shook him lightly. “ _ Please _ . This might be our only chance. After that we can find help, figure out where we are, find a way to get our memories back...”

It was wishful thinking. He knew there was a good chance he wouldn’t get out of this prison with his life. But he  _ had  _ to try.

The boy looked unsure, reluctant, but finally nodded his head and steeled his eyes in determination. “O-okay. Let’s do it.”

The man offered his hand to his cellmate (didn’t grab him, or yank him like the scientists) and crept out of their cell. The walls outside didn’t look much different from the inside, only a bit dimmer and easier on the eyes. There was no one keeping watch of them, just as he thought.

Hands still clutching to one another, the older prisoner led the younger down the hall.

“Do you have any idea where you’re going?” the boy asked. Not with malice or impatience, but genuine curiosity.

He paused for a moment.

“I’ll… figure it out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, but hey, at least I updated lmao.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always appreciated! Thank you for reading!


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